Wisdom of the North: Proverbial Allusion and Patterning in the Icelandic Saga

Wisdom of the North studies how and for what purposes proverbs were used by the composers of the sagas, thereby demonstrating how awareness of proverbial occurrences in these narratives can enable us to engage in more penetrating literary criticism of these works. The methods offered here have already been applied to the reading of other medieval texts, particularly those originating in societies marked by the presence or persistent influence of preliterate culture.